Theology On Tap

Each person will have an opportunity to speak (max. of 2 min) After each person speaks discussion of that particular subject will be addressed

T.O.T. will conclude in about 1 hour. That’s 1 hour of solid discussion.

People can stay and continue talk/eating/drinking/etc. after TOT closes.

Before we leave the Tap, next months topic will be determined by a majority vote of people present. So bring some “talking points”.

The T.O.T. people approved the framework almost 100%, but one person had an issue of only being able to only talk 2 min. It was quickly decided that we would amend this rule in certain situations.

Question #1 for Jan

Is there a God? and why do you think so?

our discussion confirmed that their must be a God, and it’s a God of LOVE. Total in attendance was 11.

Question #2 for Feb. 27

attendance 9

How is Jesus God?

Please come and let’s discuss some questions that I myself have. A couple talking points for our TOT talk:

why did God created Jesus???? (or did he?)

In the Old Testament….the Messiah was called out (how doe this relate to the 1st talking point?)

Question, (this is speculation) God knows all. God sent to flood to eliminate evil, since he promised never to do that again to “wash away” sin, is this how Jesus got his start?

Is the how God is inviting himself to us by positioning himself as a human being (Jesus Christ?)

I think these 4 points are important to have a good understanding to spread the GOOD NEWS.

T.O.T. at the Olympic

(2 Newbies)

From the Tap;

God created Jesus to take away the sins of the world. To forgive our sins.

God is with us. Even though we don’t see Jesus, we pray to Jesus as our Savior. Jesus is with us every tid me.

The Old Testament is filled with us failing and the New Testament fills us with hope in the fact of Christ.

Jesus is “God with skin on”.

God came to earth as Jesus because God was lonely and wanted the full experience – to be born, hurt, love, feel, stand up for injustice and give himself fully.

God is the greatest. Jesus came down to help the world….an change it too.

Jesus, God, & the Holy Spirit are 3 persons in one being.

Question #3 for March 27th

facts of the Holy Spirit

12 Attendees (4 newbies)

From the Tap;

The Holy Spirit being with us at all times. All around us in prayer, in our lonliness, and in our happiness.

The Holy Spirit is not always “my friend” as I might like. S/He often pushes me past where I want to be.

The Spirit prods me toward giving/doing more than UI always want to do.

The Holy Spirit comes through action; becons of hope for those who feel all is lost. Emma Gonzales gives a voice to students who live in fear every day. She is seen as pure goodness, that is working through empowering other to make change.

III Introduction:
We are going to go around the table and if you would like to declare what the devil is or what it means to you. From this point, according to the bible and history, what does the devil looks like and where does he live (or what space does he occupy? Plus…what’s the devils purpose? AND If God created everything why did he create the devil? Please share what you would like but remember 5 min limit.
(will pass this sheet around and please write a quick note that will be included in the monthly write up). It’s always posted on line. I don’t want your names …. just a DNA sample😉. Plus … USE THE WEB AGE! WLFSG.com
IV I’ll start with my view of the devil:

.• The devil is a spirit
• God created this spirit
• This is truly a test!
• It’s simple: you do good 😊 or you do evil. ☹
• I don’t believe in this fallen angle stuff
• Why doesn’t the Bible talk more about the “enemy”?
o Devil mentioned 36 times
o Satan mentioned in 51 verses
• The Lutheran church doesn’t show much of a specified interest.
• Is the thought of the devil just being passes from generation to generation

Comments from the group:
1. I was introduced to the devil (Satan) in Sunday school. I didn’t like him tempting Eve. Also, I don’t like to give Satan any credit. Don’t send him my way, I don’t want thing.
2. I grew up not acknowledging the devil. We didn’t want to give any power to that idea.
3. It’s giving Satan too much credit to say he is a person.
4. Devils are the deceivers of human kind. All devils answer to Satan. Satan is the fallen angel who disobeyed God causing Satan to fall from Gods grace. Satan’s objective is to get back at God for sending him down the earth, never to return to heaven. satins devil work on humankind is to disobey God also.
5. I grew up not acknowledging Satan as it gave him too much power. I feel that rather, we all know wrong from right and can choose.
6. I’ve always thought as the devil as an evil entity, who is there to tempt us. Just like Adam and Eve who was tempted with eating an apple from the tree of knowledge. Thus, disobeying God’s rule or breaking his word. Who do you listen too? (the little angel on the right or the little devil on left, or our shoulder).
BREAKING NEWS
Next month (May 22th) we are going to discuss “the second coming”

Question #5 for 22 May

T.O.T. People: What do you think of the second coming?

attendance 8

From: https://www.gotquestions.org/second-coming-Jesus-Christ.htmler
Jesus ascended into heaven, the angels declared to the apostles, “‘Men of Galilee,’ they said, ‘why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven’” (Acts 1:11). Zechariah 14:4 identifies the location of the second coming as the Mount of Olives. Matthew 24:30 declares, “At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory.” Titus 2:13 describes the second coming as a “glorious appearing.”

The second coming is spoken of in greatest detail in Revelation 19:11-16, “I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. ‘He will rule them with an iron scepter.’ He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh, he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.”

1. Personally, I don’t really think about it that much because I always start questioning myself. We are here to praise the jealous God (Exodus 20). Yes, it is difficult to isolate your praise. We shouldn’t be trying to predict or account for this coming, but we need to be ready! The bible talks of “thieves in the night”, could that happen? Or could it be like what was said in revelation (see above)? We need to BLJC.
2. I’ve always been content to know that there will be a second coming. No one knows details. We just need to know Jesus TRUST!
3. I know that with the second coming of Jesus, I feel that I must be prepared Spiritually. Think that the three horseman will scare the daylights out of me.
4. I really get tired of people or persons telling me the world is coming to an end on a certain date. No one knows when except God. Just be ready & prepared for Jesus Coming.
5. I have never understood the concept of the “second coming”. Doesn’t Christ come into our lives every day every moment of our lives? Doesn’t he vanish our fears & enemies if we truly except him into our lives.
6. I don’t really worry about the second coming because only God knows when that is going to be or how it is going to happen
7. The second coming is hope for all creation – because it’s Jesus who is coming to judge the living and the dead.
8. It will come to all of us; whether to a certain “time” for all or whether to us as individuals at our death in this demention.
Next meeting is 26 June and the topic is Stewardship (more to come)

Question #6:

26 June 2018

We are going to talk about: Stewardship in the Bible

(6 people)

Introduction:
We are going to go around the table and if you would like to declare what stewardship means to you. Please share what you would like but remember 5 min limit.

Stewardship is looking after someone’s property in that person’s interest. Biblical stewardship means accepting your role as a steward or manager of God’s money and other resources. Stewardship applies to daily lifestyle choices affecting time, talents, and money.
(will pass this sheet around and please write a quick note that will be included in the monthly write up). It’s always posted on line. I don’t want your names.
I’ll start with my view of stewardship:

• It’s a thankful means to recognize how fortunate you really are!
• Is God testing you to see how thankful you are?
• I’m personally not a rich person is aspect to money, but I enjoy using my organizational/facilitating gifts
• I think this tithe measurement is a good reference, but what was posted about your means, means everything.
• Using the Web there are 45 verses about stewardship
• We need to be thankful for God giving us the opportunity to get this bounty.

Comments from the group:

1. I think it’s important to share your time, talents, and resources with your church community.
2. STEWARDSHIP is a whole lot more than “MONEY”. You need to be a steward of the creation. Devote your time to help the earth, neighbors, and all creation. Share your talents.
3. I have a problem when someone says “you have to give more than what I have. “You give what you can”. That’s it. I love to do my talent and share it with others. That’s another way of stewardship.
4. The caring of the earth is important to me so that my stewardship is caring for our only earth. Cutting my carbon footprint is always ar my foremost. Caring for the earth is an ongoing test of my commitment to our earth.
5. Stewardship is house management, care for the land, care for all creatures, and care for the earth

24 July 2018

(8 people)one person missed the picture

Discussion#7: Dichotomy of Freedom of Christ

Speaking from the hip….how can you be free if you follow Christ? Basically John 3:16 removes the freedom that Christ represents, I would like to hear/read more dialog about the freedom of Christ. If your a Christian, depending on how you define freedom, you are not free!

We are perfectly free from judgement because of Gods grace, and we are perfectly bound in love for our neighbors. We can’t be rally free from sin. Just because your free from sin, you can’t sin away!

Freedom to live without anxiety or we can be overcome by our fears. In the end, God’s love through Christ is there for us – under, over, behind and in front of your fears. Maybe???

The answer now is different then when growing up. Used to believe that you avoid doing bad things. It is by grace that you are saved. Sin is everything that separates us from God. Used to think it was doing bad things. Was Christ free to live (had his own free will/0 or did h have to follow Gods plan?

We are sinners and saints at the same time and that never stops during our lifetime. No one and “figure out” what sin is and then stop doing it.

You salvation is totally free – grace. You don’t need to do anything, but that doesn’t that you are not a sinner anymore.

Jesus is the “Just Judge” AND merciful and compassionate. Don’t need to worry about the judging. Faith – accept that you are accepted.

28 August

Discussion #8: What is Spiritual Growth?

Spiritual Growth is a need to be together with God. To grow with the community, friends, family, and with people we don’t even know. A coming together of faith, love, and understanding of God and the spiritual side of the mystery we don’t understand

“Spiritual Growth” to me is to read something from the scriptures and then discuss this reading. It can be done in a restaurant, home, parks, etc. We learn from each other and doing thins like hiking, yoga, mediate by ourselves.

Spiritual growth: growing closer to God. Growing into the image of God. Growing a a human being. Letting the Holy Spirit into our lives

25 September

Discussion #9: What’s the importance of bread/water in the Bible (what doe it mean)

1. Do you think that this hurricane in the Carolinas was water from God? A natural disaster, is God telling us something?
2. From the forum Sunday, it was shared that the water could represent chaos. What do we all think?
3. Most of your body is water…. how does the “spring of living water” fit in?
4. What do you think about the bread…is it the bread of life?

III Introduction:
We are going to go around the table and if you would like to declare what the water and bread means to you (plus more dialoge from the questions for discussion). Please share what you would like but remember 5 min limit.
(will pass this sheet around and please write a quick note that will be included in the monthly write up). It’s always posted on line. I don’t want your names …. just a DNA sample😉.
IV I’ll start with my view of the question above:

• (1) God knows what’s happening and he’s sending these “natural disasters” to keep us aware of what we are doing to our gift of the earth he gave.
• (2) Don’t understand the thought that water was already “here” well then who made the water? Was it the spirit?

• (3) water is totally symbolic, you need water to live, and if you want to be like Jesus drink this “living water”
• (4) bread is a common element, like water, and God created the ingredient for bread

.
Comments from the group:
1. I learned about water and bread in communion taking confirmation classes that leads to spiritual growth. It’s the body and blood of Christ.
2. Bread and water are a metaphor of Gods as bread and water as Jesus. Filling us with the spirit of hope and compassion.
3. Living water is a net for the life that Jesus can give you with your life in HIM.
4. God doesn’t cause hurricanes or other disasters. People have not taken care of what we have been given (on earth)
5. Bread and water (or wine) to me is a reminder that I continuously need to be fed by Christ in order to live.
6. God doesn’t cause hurricanes, ill health, and other bad things to happen to us. He is with us when bad things occur.
7. God is the hurricane, water can be chaos, God is rice
8. God uses disasters & allows them, but He/She does not punish people with them. These hurricanes can be used to bring people to God
9. Hurricanes are water from God. But, I think He wants us to find a way to put out fires on the West coast with the water

1. Why aren’t people attending church?
2. There are many variables why, but we must say why not!
3. Discuss my todays web post.
4. Would like to hear from others
III Introduction:
We are going to go around the table and if you would like to declare what the water and bread means to you (plus mire dialogue from the questions for discussion). Please share what you would like but remember 5 min limit.
(will pass this sheet around and please write a quick note that will be included in the monthly write up). It’s always posted on line. I don’t want your names …. just a DNA sample😉.
IV I’ll start with my view of the question above:

• We need to start some “church groups”

(see website)Comments from the group:
1.Spiritiual growth in attendance can be difficult with issues with the family. Inviting is one way to reach other people.
2.Bowling alone: don’t want to be difficult from my neighbors’ cyclical churches.
3.Culture reasons, opportunity for fellowship.
4. Welcome all! Entry points for people.
5. Friendships, fellowships, being a caring component of one another’s’ lives.
6. Not attend church because of lack of offering $$$ or time. Feeling alone and just worried about the individual needs, not the community. People take church for granted “it will always be there” and will “do church” when we have kids or when we are older/retired/near death

Discussion #11 (11 people) 🙂 Done at 8:13

KODAK Digital Still Camera

For discussion:
1. “how you personally started to follow Jesus”
2. Another question, “what” has brought you to LCGS?

• (1) My parents instructed me (or made me go to church) every Sunday, which I ended up enjoying. Most everyone had family involved, one had civil rights issues
• (2) This is similar to the first question, but I have grow up in this church, and some of my mentors (40+ years ago keeps me excited. Like Milt, the late Philna, Wendel. The baton is being passed.

BREAKING NEWS
Next month (Jan. 22nd) talk about the theology of the “caravan”